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Jypis
Jypis is an island in the northern hemisphere of Mesotras. Like Pegias, the people of Jypis do not know if there is anywhere or anyone else out in the world. They are an isolated nation that has suffered from a long and destructive civil war that has only recently ended. Due to the destructive nature of the war, it has ravaged civilization of the once thriving island and left only sparsely located strongholds while monsters roam and take back the island. History Establishment of the Kingdom Jypis has been ruled by the dwarves for the last three hundred years. Prior to that, dwarves, humans, elves, gnomes, and halflings lived in small villages and hamlets scattered across the island. Centaurs used to roam freely as they pleased. However, when King Rockdohr united the dwarves, humans, and gnomes he created a kingdom that would surpass everything. King Bramdohr Rockdohr never got the chance to see the true glory of his kingdom before he died. His son, Bramdohr, became the king and has ruled the island since. He was able to unite both sides of the island and develop a tense peace with the elves. The kingdom thrived and cities and town sprouted up across the land. Monsters were pushed back. Many were believed to have fled to the unexplored crater in the center of the island. Others fled to the northern forest where the elves resided, and others to the mountains of the east where the dwarves kept them at bay. Unfortunately, this also forced the numbers of the centaurs to go down as their plains and grazing pastures were replaced with stone and mortar. Druid Uprising The gnomes were very inventive and pushed progress in the eastern mountains. Their cities began to expand and humans saw an opportunity to aid their work and profit. Druid circles began to grow upset with the expansion and began lashing out. There was an uprising in the east where the drudis began attacking settlements and it spread west. King Bramdohr formed the Order of the Knights of Jypis, an official military for the united island. The OKJ marched from the eastern capital to the west coast and put down the rebellion once and for all. Druids were left weak and in hiding. Some still insisted on attacking the dwarves and humans, but it mainly happened in the mountains and never to any avail. The Engine and the Seeds of War The gnomes in the eastern mountains were making great progress with their engine that ran on coal and water. Driven by progress, many sought to adapt its use to daily functions. One human in particular named Wat Fogstride was doing secret surveys of the hills in the northwest and found high traces of coal of iron. Fogstride realized that these hills were his ticket to great wealth. Fogstride went to King Bramdohr asking for the right to mine in the hills. The representative of the elves, Aekian, spoke out against it. He said that the elves would not tolerate the location of the mine and the druid rebels in the area would surely fight against them if they did this. Bramdohr considered both sides but, in the end, profits and progress won out and he gave Fogstride permission to begin mining on behalf of the kingdom. The mine began preperations near the town of Rachdale. The elves did not like it and were very vocal about their distaste for the mine, however they never acted out against it. The local druids, as predicted, actively fought against it. The violence escalated to the point where King Bramdohr dispatched an attachment of the Knights of Jypis to defend the mine. This escalated the fighting on other parts of the island and almost led to a second war with the druids, but they were quickly suppressed. As druids continued to attack in the eastern mountains, the gnomes were forced to fight them. They began using their engine for war and it demanded more coal. In order to keep up with demand, Fogstride had to increase his own production, which would require more lumber. He established a logging company in the Vlosih Forest, home to the elves. Aekian went to Geg Darim to address the king on behalf of the elves. He demanded that the logging company be stopped because it violated the sovereignty of the elves. Bramdohr spoke with both Fogstride and Aekian to try and find a compromise but it was to no avail. It was starting to look as if Aekian would win his case on behalf of the elves. He was shot dead by an assassin in broad daylight in the streets of Geg Darim. Tension in the city rose between the elves and the humans and King Bramdohr saw that people were looking for the opportunity to fight. He issued a curfew on the city in an attempt to maintain the peace. The Rock Wars The first strike in the war did not happen in Geg Darim as the king expected. Instead, it was in Rachdale. Many humans died in the joint attack by the elves and druids, including the Knights attached to defend the town and mine. The war spread across the island with elves joining the druids in fighting the dwarves and humans. Gnomes did their best to remain neutral but were forced into defending their cities int he mountains from the druids still. The fighting continued on for another four years and many people died in that time. Cities and towns were razed and both sides used brutal tactics against their enemies. The war seemed to be at a stalemate until the gnomes changed everything when Poybar Gilgen invented a steam engine-based weapon called a dust bomb. It was considered to be a highly destructive weapon but untested on a large scale; the gnomes hoped that by giving this weapon to the King that it would end the war and they could continue with their work in peace. The humans led an assault on Nalore, the capital of the elves located in southern part of the Vlosih Forest. During the battle, the humans began to lose ground. It was soon apparent to them that they were not going to make it out of the forest alive. As a last resort, they unleashed the full power of the dust bomb that they had brought with them. It decimated all of the forces and petrified a large portion of the forest in the south. The bomb killed Queen Anmiris, leader of the elves, as well as Chief Priest Javion of the druids. With the leader of the elves and the druid's greatest general lost, the war quickly ended with the elves surrendering. The Aftermath of the War The war scarred the island. Monsters refilled the island and life inland became very dangerous. Elves retreated to the Vlosih Forest for the most part while most other people were forced to flee to towns and cities with access to water trade and high walls. The economy began to suffer and coin was not as valuable as it used to be. Ianfiz Fixer approached King Bramdohr with an idea to unit the kingdom. He wanted to use his train, a steam powered land vehicle, to connect the island. He had been using it in the mountains to transport goods and people from city to city and saw a fast and safe option for land travel on the island. The King approved of the idea and investor Ernest Meldestel, a human businessman, took charge of the operation. Meldestel and Fixer established the Fixer Railways Company and began construction of their track starting in Geg Darim and aiming to end in the eastern city of Vona. Races of Jypis The Isle of Jypis is made up of various races. The dominate race on the island is the dwarvish race. Second to them would be humans, followed by elves, gnomes, and halflings. Also on the island are sizable clans of orcs, half-orcs, ogres, gnolls, and centaurs. Technology Jypis benefits from the inventions of ingenious gnomes combined with the progress focused dwarves and humans. Notable technology includes black powder, firearms, explosives, and steam engines. The steam engine has been used in multiple fashions but most notably has been weaponized into a "dust bomb" and used as a mode of transportation in the form of a train. Economy Since the Rock Wars, trade and the economy have suffered greatly. While the largest cities still use minted coins in bronze, silver, and gold, smaller towns and villages typically do not have much use for the goods. Because of this, multiple forms of trade have come up. Coins Major cities such as Geg Darim and Vona use minted coins as their primary currency. These coins include bronze, silver, and gold. Each coin weighs about one ounce. There are also gold and silver bars that are common among traders making large purchases. Gems Recognized almost everywhere is the trade of gemstones. These rare stones waiver in value and are commonly found in the eastern mountains and towns in the south. In cities they can be traded for their value in coin. Due to their light weight, they are commonly used in large purchases within cities or when traveling by land. Barter Northern towns and villages typically have nothing to show for in regards of coin or gemstone. They depend mostly on barter with food goods, livestock, textiles, tools, services, and spices.